The American dream used to be founded on the goal of finding a good, stable job to spend the majority of one’s career — but this is no longer the norm. Over the last seventy years, the standard employer-employee relationship has drastically changed. Companies no longer offer the same level of job security, regular pay increases, guaranteed pensions, robust health benefits and other social benefits as they did in the past. This shift in the corporate social contract has taken a toll on loyalty on both sides.

Senior Advisor and former Executive Director at the Drucker Institute, Rick Wartzman, discusses his recent book "The End of Loyalty: The Rise and Fall of Good Jobs in America," which chronicles the erosion of the relationship between major American businesses and their workers. Have these new workplace practices decreased morale and productivity? How can America revitalize its middle class? What is the new American Dream?

The first five years of a child’s life are a period of intense creativity, invention and growth. During this period, children rely on those around them to provide for their physical, cognitive and socio-emotional development needs to ensure their capacity to trust and become resilient adults. Distressingly, nearly 200 million children globally may not reach their developmental potential due to the effects of unhealthy environment and paucity of educational opportunities. Many of these children also live in stressful circumstances – caused by poverty, abandonment or violent conflict – and so face additional challenges in learning to trust. This session will investigate the factors impacting early childhood development and learn which interventions can prevent, mitigate or address the potentially lasting effects of toxic stress. If –as Nelson Mandela said –“there is no keener revelation of society’s soul than the way it treats its children,” then surely the legitimacy of a state rests at least in part on whether it meets its obligations to the young.

The current crisis between the US and North Korea has escalated with both sides firing off heated exchanges following North Korea’s missile tests and threats extending as far as Guam. While North Korea has tested missiles in the past, the US is on alert as Kim Jong-un accelerates the drive for nuclear capabilities which could bolster the survival of his regime. President Trump is now faced with his biggest challenge since coming into office, and it is one which is alarming from both a humanitarian and economic perspective as South Korea and China urge more dialogue and less military exercises.

Can the US and North Korea pivot from searing rhetoric and work toward strengthening diplomacy? To what extent is China willing to help in terms of diplomacy and deterrence? Is the Korean Peninsula less safe with a nuclearized North Korea?

President Trump’s first visit to the Middle East demonstrated a notable shift in US policy toward the region. In a marked departure from the policies of the Obama administration, the president not only embraced the Sunni Arab states, but signed a $110 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia, and stated that he will not lecture the Kingdom or other Arab autocracies on human rights issues. He also initiated a review of the Iranian nuclear deal, gave greater military emphasis to US actions in the area, and called for states in the region to isolate Iran. Meanwhile, elections in Iran have given President Rouhani a broader mandate to open Iran’s economy further.

How will President Trump’s policies and actions impact America’s relations with Saudi Arabia, the nuclear deal with Iran and the prospect of ending arduous conflicts as seen in Syria and Yemen? Will this further increase tensions, or is there potential for renewed diplomatic cooperation between the US, Saudi Arabia and Iran?

Banafsheh Keynoush, a geopolitical and communications consultant, Jessica Tuchman Mathews, distinguished fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Ambassador Hossein Mousavian, Middle East security expert at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School, will discuss the US - Iran - Saudi Arabia nexus and whether we are destined for renewed diplomacy or conflict in the Middle East.

SPEAKERS

Seyed Hossein Mousavian Middle East Security and Nuclear Policy Specialist, Program on Science and Global Security, Princeton University

What drives voters to the election booth? Dr. Arlie Hochschild, UC Berkeley sociologist and author of New York Times best seller “Strangers in their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right,” embarked on a journey to the Deep South to explore this very question. What she found were lives damaged by lost jobs, poor wages and an elusive American dream. As she connected and became friends with the people she met, she was surprised to discover that their values mirrored the liberal values she grew up with, including a desire for community, the importance of family and hopes for their children. She came to appreciate how strongly emotions, including years of anger and frustration, drive political preference for many far-right voters.

What role did “emotion in politics” play in the results of the 2016 election? What feelings motivate Trump supporters and Tea Partiers to support these movements? Why do citizens who would seem to benefit most from “liberal” government programs detest the party that passed them? Dr. Hochschild will share her observations and the stories of those who have felt like strangers in their own land.

SPEAKER

Arlie Hochschild Professor Emerita, Sociology, UC Berkeley

MODERATOR:

John Sepulvado Host of The California Report, KQED Public Radio

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/events/event/1727

What can the rise of Japan and Germany in the last century - or the rise of Athens 2,000 years earlier - tell us about the risks facing the US and China today? Is a US-China war inevitable?

Graham Allison, among the most astute geostrategic observers of his generation, terms this “Thucydides’s Trap.” He takes us back to the Peloponnesian war to remind us of the timeless insights of the historian Thucydides: When a rising power rivals a ruling power, danger is near. In fact, in 12 of the 16 occasions this global power pattern has repeated, the outcome was war. With this view to history, the existential challenge of our era is not violent Islamic extremists or a resurgent Russia; it is the impact of China’s ascendance on the international order. According to Allison, "Never before in history has a nation risen so far, so fast."

Even Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged that the world “work together to avoid the Thucydides trap… Our aim is to foster a new model of major country relations.” But is being aware of danger enough to avoid it? While the West seeks to encircle and constrain, China demonstrates, with aggressive naval exercises in disputed seas, that it will demand the respect due a major power in its own region and the world. Can the world escape the perilous prophecy of Athens and Sparta?

Graham Allison, director of Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, founding dean of Harvard’s Kennedy School and advisor to every secretary of defense from Reagan to Obama, shares insights from his career, and outlines the painful steps both China and the US must take to avoid disaster.

SPEAKER:

Graham Allison Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University

MODERATOR:

Michael M. Nacht Thomas and Alison Schneider Professor of Public Policy; Interim Director, Center for Studies in Higher Education, Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1732

In April – shortly after triggering article 50 of the Lisbon treaty which started the process of withdrawing from the European Union – British Prime Minister Theresa May called for a snap general election to be held in June. There is no turning back on Brexit, but a strong win by the Conservative Party would give May a stronger mandate in executing it as she sees fit. May hopes to increase her majority in Parliament as she strives to negotiate a good deal for Britain, and local election results and polls indicate that this is a likely outcome.

The UK vote comes in the wake of the French elections, where pro-EU Emmanuel Macron won with 65% of the vote. One of his first public statements was to warn the UK to expect “tough” Brexit negotiations. Regardless of how the deal is cut, it will redefine the political and economic relationships between the EU and Britain, as well as the US, that form the bedrock of the Western alliance.

What is the future of the European Union, and how will the upcoming UK elections influence it? How will this impact the transatlantic US-UK relationship? Colin Brown, chairman of the British-American Business Council and Christophe Crombez, senior research scholar at Stanford’s The Europe Center and professor at KU Leuven in Belgium, will discuss prospects for Brexit, the European Union and international trade negotiations.

As part of our "Engage" series, this event features a post-discussion Q&A, when you will have the chance to participate directly with the speaker and gain incredible insights that you won't get anywhere else.

SPEAKERS

Colin Brown Chairman, British-American Business Council

Christophe Crombez Senior Research Scholar at Stanford’s The Europe Center and Professor at KU Leuven in Belgium

MODERATOR:

Kausik Rajgopal Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company

For more information please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1734

According to recent studies by Pew Research, consumers are now just as likely to get their news from social media as from traditional news websites. And while some Americans are confident in their abilities to detect "fake news," two-thirds feel some confusion about navigating the facts in current issues and events.

What obligations do government and media have to filter fake news, and what steps have already been taken to prevent these stories from gaining undue attention? What is the future of journalism in this post-facts era? How can we know what is credible and what is not?

Joaquin Alvarado, CEO of the Center for Investigative Reporting, will share his thoughts about reporting in a time when our country is being confronted by an unprecedented assault on basic facts.

SPEAKERS

Joaquin Alvarado CEO, Center for Investigative Reporting

Janine Zacharia Former Jerusalem Bureau Chief and Middle East Correspondent, The Washington Post

MODERATOR:

Edward Wasserman Dean, Graduate School of Journalism, University of California, Berkeley

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1724

In November, the international community watched as Americans elected Donald Trump the next President, leaving many with unanswered questions about what lies ahead for international development. The United States government is currently the biggest foreign aid donor in the world. Washington’s actions also influence how much other governments contribute to global efforts to eliminate poverty, reduce hunger, empower women and local actors, and increase access to education and healthcare.

Trump said little about his stance on international aid throughout his campaign. Republicans have supported foreign aid in the past because it contributes to national security at home, which is also one of Trump’s biggest priorities. However, if his nationalist ideologies and “Make America First” rhetoric are any indicators of future actions, foreign aid — despite representing less than 1% of the national budget — may be on the chopping block.

What progress has been made, and what hope is there for the world’s most vulnerable people? Dana Hyde, the CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and Richard Leach, the President and CEO of World Food Program USA, will share insights about major achievements in recent years and shifting priorities for the future.

Dana Hyde, Chief Executive Director of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and Richard Leach, President and CEO of the World Food Program USA, are in conversation.

The discussion is moderated by Jane Wales, CEO, World Affairs and Global Philanthropy Forum; Vice President, The Aspen Institute.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1674

The US Presidential elections were a wake-up call to many that millions of Americans are angry and want drastic change. While our new global economy has benefited many, they feel that they have been left behind – losing their livelihoods and income to companies abroad. As a nation, we need to do something about these issues, although Trump’s promises and actions to pull out of international trade deals may not be the only or best solution.

The problem, according to Council on Foreign Relations’ Edward Alden, is not globalization itself, but the failure of domestic policies to address its associated challenges. US policymakers have long recognized the challenges that Americans would face in the new global economy, but mainly looked the other way.

In his book, Failure to Adjust: How Americans Got Left Behind in the Global Economy, Alden explains why support for free trade is disappearing, and how to improve the situation for citizens whose lives have been negatively impacted by it. What can we do to minimize these impacts, and how can we build a workforce that is adaptable and resilient to rapidly changing global markets? What potential federal policies would develop more internationally competitive industries and improve the overall American economy?

Speaker Edward Alden is the Bernard L. Schwartz Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

The conversation is moderated by Jane Wales, CEO, World Affairs and Global Philanthropy Forum; Vice President, The Aspen Institute.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1713